Lawmakers revive talk of I-5 Columbia River bridge

Lawmakers from Washington and Oregon are talking about reviving plans for a new Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River between Vancouver and Portland.

A group including a dozen lawmakers from both states and both parties met behind closed doors Wednesday in Vancouver.

One of the lawmakers leading the so-called Bi-State Bridge Coalition, Rep. Liz Pike of Camas, told The Columbian the meeting was a post-mortem on the failed Columbia River Crossing project and the start of rebuilding relationships.

The next step would be for the governors to form a commission that would guide a new bridge project.

The Columbia River Crossing died after Washington lawmakers declined to pay their share and an Oregon-only version failed this year in the Oregon Legislature.